Christians and Politics

I understand that in a group of people we will have varying political opinions, but I do not think that it is accurate to say that religion and politics do not mix. In fact the Bible addresses many political issues doesn’t it? Government was an issue that Biblical writers addressed. The Scriptures talk about the role of government, how we should respond to the government and in fact much of our laws are taken from the Book of Deuteronomy. I think it is fair to say that Christians should be concerned about politics and that God is concerned about politics. I Peter 2:13 tells us that we are to submit to the governing authorities and I Timothy 2:1 urges us to pray for those who lead. Saying that religion and politics do not mix is usually just an excuse so people do not have to talk about the two as they relate. It’s funny that we are quick to sing patriotic hymns in church and politics and religion can mix on that realm, but they cannot mix when we talk about elections and the issues. The Bible though is not silent on politics.

I believe that it is important that Christians be involved in the process, we should be concerned about this election and all elections. We should be concerned about who is leading us because they decide what freedoms we have and don’t have and what rights we have and don’t have. But, just how do we as Christians interact with the government? What does the Bible say about issues that relate to this? I believe that in a critical time in the history of our country it is important to be informed and to see what our Biblical responsibility is with the government and not to simply withdraw and avoid.

First principle: “God rules …”

God’s claim is that He is King – King over all who worship Him now, and King in the past over the nation of Israel. He called the children of Israel to be “a kingdom of priests, a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). Other nations and their leaders, particularly those surrounding Israel, were influenced by God, often without knowing the part they played in His purpose. One of these was king Nebuchadnezzar, an autocratic ruler of ancient Babylon who lived six hundred years before Christ. Like modern humanists who think that people can improve the world by their own devices, he refuted the supremacy of the God of the Bible in the control of human affairs. The Book of Daniel, in the Old Testament, gives us a picture of this great Eastern monarch full of pride at his own achievements. We read of him boasting out loud:

• “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30)

However, Nebuchadnezzar had a hard lesson to learn; three times in this same chapter the all important principle is repeated that:

• “The Most High rules the kingdom of men, and gives it to whom he will.”

To reinforce this principle, Nebuchadnezzar, the great ruler, was suddenly and dramatically struck down with mental illness, was driven away to make his home with animals, and was deprived of his kingdom until he humbled himself before God.

Nebuchadnezzar rose from the most humble background to be the leader of a great empire. The world saw him as a man who succeeded through his own abilities, yet his life was ordered by God to teach us that God, and not man, is ultimately in control.

When Nebuchadnezzar had his sanity restored by God, he was honest enough to acknowledge these lessons:

• “At the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High, and praised and honoured him who lives for ever … he does according to his will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, What doest thou?” (Daniel 4:34,35)

“He does according to his will … and none can stay his hand.” What implications there are in these words for us as we listen to the promises and the claims of the political leaders of our times! God’s rule, as Nebuchadnezzar came to know, “is an everlasting dominion …”

The principle illustrated again

It doesn’t really matter which era of man’s history you look into: if you see it from God’s point of view, His control is always in evidence. His hand can be seen, overruling and directing the will of men – whether or not they believe in Him. Sometimes, for our benefit, the curtain is drawn fully back, as in the example of Cyrus, the great ruler of the Persian Empire in the sixth century BC.

This example of Cyrus gives us a clear insight into how God works ‘behind the scenes’ with men and nations. In Isaiah 45:1, God refers to this powerful ruler as “His anointed”, even though Cyrus himself was not consciously aware of God’s direct involvement in his life. “I call you by your name, I surname you, though you do not know me”, God said to the king (verse 4). The remarkable thing about these words is that they were given by God to the prophet Isaiah, and written down by him, about 170 years before Cyrus was born. At the time the name ‘Cyrus’ would mean nothing! Why did God tell Isaiah that He would control the actions of this man – why was He willing to smooth his path to victory after victory in his rise to power? The prophet tells us why: it was so that the political survival of God’s people, Israel, would be assured. It was done “for the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen” (verse 4). God’s purpose with Israel would be fulfilled by Cyrus, even though he didn’t know it at the time.

The principle still applies

Now you may wonder whether all this history is relevant to the politics of the twenty-first century. Surely this first Bible principle makes it clear that this really is the case. “The Most High rules the kingdom of men, and gives it to whom he will”, holds true today just as it did over two thousand years ago. The true Christian, the Bible-based believer, understands that God, and not man, is still in control of human affairs. Throughout the Bible, we are shown how the tangled web of local, national, and international politics – so many aspects of which are hidden even from those directly involved – is all in God’s good hands, both in history and in the contemporary world. “His dominion”, said Nebuchadnezzar, “is an everlasting dominion”. God never changes: this Bible principle still applies today, and it applies whether we recognize it or not.

I'll end this article by saying that; "Our personal response to all this will depend on how much we acknowledge the Bible as the word of God and how much we are prepared to listen to its message to us."

References

• "Sermon central"- 20 May 2005

• "Bible Education"

Prayer Points

Father Lord, Please give me the grace to honor your word, and to have an understanding that you and you alone rules in the affairs of men. In Jesus Name. Amen